Bump in the Night
by Inuyasha4eva
Summary: A ghost story sets the mood for a most 'haunting' Halloween at Whammy's. Soon enough every bump in the night has everyone on their toes, bodies tucked tightly under covers, and three Genii trying to unravel the mystery. Halloween Fic. Slight Mello/Matt
1. October

October always felt different from every other month. Halloween wasn't even what made it feel this way. There were various things that helped make it _feel_ like October. It was that time of year when summer had just ended, fall was in mid-swing, and winter was fast approaching. The air was neither hot nor cold. Instead it was cool, pleasant. The leaves were going through metamorphosis. The deep reds, gold's, and dark browns swirling in the sky before descending to the earth, all the colors seemingly becoming richer. October just felt so wonderfully different; maybe that was why it was his favorite.

A puff of air escaped Mello's mouth. He was sprawled out lazily in the tall grass under the shade of a tree. Both of Mello's hands cradled his head as he lay on his back. The sun was just beginning to set. An orange haze had taken over the sky. The only interruption of this sweeping orange was an occasional passing cloud. It was nice. Suddenly a falling leaf landed squarely on Mello's nose.

"Hmmm…" Mello's eyes crossed as he attempted to look at the leaf that halted his train of thought. Mello slowly removed one of his hands from behind his head to get the offending leaf off his nose. He gently pinched the leaf between his thumb and index finger before lifting it off his face. Mello then sat up in his spot on the tall grass to study the fallen leaf. The color of the leaf was an interesting mix of that deep red and bright gold. A small smile crept onto Mello's face. October really was one of his favorite months.

Mello dropped the leaf from his hold. The lone leaf twirled in the air for a moment before becoming lost in the tall grass. Mello braced his hands on the ground and then pushed himself up. Once the blond was standing steadily, he began to brush dirt and bits of dry grass that had stuck onto his clothes. Lying on the ground seemed to affect his cotton shirt more, seeing as almost everything appeared to have clung to it. It took a minute or two to get everything off. When Mello was finished with this task, he walked off, forever leaving the shade of the tree.

Mello's pace was slow. It was as if he was not yet ready to leave this peaceful atmosphere. Maybe he wasn't. A looming brick building stood in the distance. The walls of the building were a dismal gray due to the choice of brick; and a dark wooden door marked the entranceway. If one craned their neck they could see the only outward color of the building, the stained glass windows. The detailed colored glass always seemed more appropriate for a Cathedral rather than an orphanage.

Mello pushed open the heavy wooden doorway with a bit of effort and walked inside. None of the other children seemed to pay him mind as Mello made his way down the hallway. The lights that lit this hallway were reminiscent of the setting sun outside. They held that familiar orange glow.

Mello wasn't exactly sure of how old the lights actually were, but he was certain the effect they gave wasn't much better than candlelight. This candle-like light only occurred in the hallways, some of the older classrooms, and the library. A lot of the other places in Whammy's were lit up with more modern lights.

Mello finally reached his destination as he stopped in front of a single door. He lifted his hand up to knock and then lightly rapped his knuckles against the wood of the door. There was no immediate reply. The blond waited for only a little bit of time before his patience wore thin. He quickly gripped the door-handle and turned. The door clicked and then Mello proceeded to swing the door all the way open. When that was done, he peered inside.

The only source of light coming from t_he_ room seemed to be the fuzzy glow of a television screen. The little light given by the screen revealed a floor littered with various pieces of trash and misplaced toys. The other parts of the room where the light couldn't reach remained in shadow.

A face came into the light of the television. The visions flickering on the television screen casted strange pictures onto the face. Eyes hidden by orange lenses stayed focused as fast fingers clicked away at a slightly beat-up N64 controller; and a tiny pink tongue poked out at the corner of a mouth.

"Matt…" the face lit up by the television turned to Mello, "I want to carve a pumpkin,"

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_**This is sort of the set-up for the Halloween fic. I hope you liked this chapter, and will stay to read the rest as they come. Because really… don't you want to know the ghost story? ;)**_


	2. Pumpkin

A copious amount of paper towels covered the expanse of a tabletop. Small hands gripped tightly on an orange gourd as it was brought to the table. The table seemed so far away for the person carrying the pumpkin. It was just so damn heavy. He could feel the pumpkin beginning to slip from his fingers.

"Matt if you drop that pumpkin, I swear I'll kill you…" Mello said threateningly as he rushed over to help the poor red-head. Both boys then hefted the pumpkin the rest of the way to the table. Once the pumpkin was set firmly on the tabletop, Matt let out a sigh of relief.

"You could have helped me carry it in the first place, you know?" Matt said irritably as he looked at the blond boy opposite him. Mello snorted and crossed his arms, a look of disbelief on his face.

"If I had helped you in the first place, I would never have had the time to set up all these paper towels or get the tools for carving the pumpkin. Plus, we've got to get this done before Roger has a chance to catch us," Mello grumbled back.

"Alright! Alright…don't get your panties in a twist. I'm sorry for bringing it up" Matt said rolling his eyes behind the cover of his goggles.

The two were breaking quite a few rules with this move. It was just a bit after classes, but a little while before dinner. This was the perfect time to commandeer the cafeteria (which was never allowed) for their purposes.

The cafeteria contained several rows of long empty tables. The boys really only needed one of these tables. Carving a pumpkin could be a very messy job. For that reason alone, Mello had decided earlier that day that the pumpkin carving would not occur in their shared room (it was already a mess as is); but instead chose here in the cafeteria for their carving spot.

"What kind of face do you think we should give it?" Mello asked as he eyed the pumpkin from his spot at the table. The blond boy had settled himself comfortably on a long bench connected to the main table. A small hand pushed some hair that had fallen in front of his face.

"Don't we have to gut the pumpkin before we cut out the face?" Matt questioned as he placed a palm on the smooth surface of said pumpkin. Mello moved his focus from the orange gourd over to Matt. A frown now marred his features.

"Of course we do. I just wanted to plan ahead so we don't screw the whole thing up. Jeez Matt…" Mello said with a click of his tongue. Matt removed his hand from the pumpkin and gave Mello a look.

"Sorry for asking a question you obviously thought was stupid" Matt sighed, "I guess what we could do is go for something creepy or scary"

"Naturally. Let's pick some particularly eerie features for our pumpkin," Mello said as he returned his focus to the item in question. Both boy's stared hard at the orange vegetable as they thought on what exactly to carve into its surface.

"It should have long pointed fangs…"

"More like a creepy grin…"

"Sinister smile…"

"Narrowed eyes…"

"Evil eyes…"

"Slanted evil peering eyes…"

"Yeah! And it can have a jagged pointed nose!"

"Then it's settled. Our pumpkin will have a sinister smile, slanted evil peering eyes, and a jagged pointed nose!" Mello declared as he picked up a pencil from their pile of supplies. Matt let a grin come to his face. He had been allowed by Mello to decide at least on some of the characteristics the pumpkin would have. The goggled gamer watched as Mello carefully marked the path the carving knife would follow. When Mello felt satisfied with the stenciled face and top, he pulled the pencil back.

"Awesome!" Matt said as he picked up the carving knife excitedly. Mello tutted his friend while picking up another tool from their pumpkin carving pile. It was a tiny plastic poker.

"I've got to make indentions into the top first before you cut," Mello explained as Matt lowered the carving knife. The young man seemed disappointed with this turn of events.

"Didn't you already do that with the pencil? Won't you mess up the pumpkin by poking out the face first?" Matt asked curiously. Mello let out an exasperated sigh. The blond truly felt like he was dealing with an unprofessional here.

"We don't poke out the face! I'm only poking out the top first. It makes it easier to cut. We don't cut out the face till after we empty out the pumpkin!" Mello said with a bit of attitude.

"That's what I thought. I didn't realize I was dealing with an expert here, however" Matt shot back with just as much attitude as Mello had used.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you…" Mello commented. Both boys' stared at each other a moment before matching grins shown on their faces. Soon enough laughter filled the empty cafeteria and the short tension was broken. Mello then got to work on the top of the pumpkin.

After Mello finished his part, Matt set out to cut the top. Mello watched Matt closely as the red-head carved out the top. The knife was set to the side when the process was done; and Mello gripped the stem of the pumpkin. The top of the pumpkin came off easily and the scent of the pumpkin's innards permeated the room.

"Woah. That really smells like pumpkin!" Matt exclaimed.

"No really?" Mello said in a mocking tone. Matt glared at Mello before taking the top of the pumpkin out of the blonde's hand, and then proceeded to cut the excess pumpkin meat from the top. Mello smirked as he saw Matt try to hide his own smile behind the piece of pumpkin. Matt never stayed mad or irritated at him for long.

Soon enough it was time to dive into the pumpkin, so to speak. Mello stuck his hand into the pumpkin and made a face as he came in contact with the cold stringy mess within. He pulled back his hand and ripped at the innards of the pumpkin. It felt strange squeezing at this orange mush. The only give-away as to what the mush actually was, were the obvious pumpkin seeds stuck within it. Mello plopped the mush onto one of the paper towels.

"That looks really gross," Matt said as he rolled up his striped sleeves, looking at the pumpkin with some distaste.

"Don't be a baby. Come on and help me already," Mello said as he was already pulling out his second helping of pumpkin goosh. Matt seemed reluctant, but ended up sticking his hand down into the depths of the pumpkin regardless.

After the plunge, Matt held a face that distinctly said 'eww…' The two worked hard at gutting the giant orange orb. Soon enough a decently sized pile of pumpkin _guts_ formed. Mello was working on the remainder of the inside with a plastic scooper. Matt watched this with mild interest, both hands still covered in pumpkin slime.

Suddenly Matt plopped his hand into the pile of pumpkin _guts_ with a resounding squelch sound. He then twisted his fingers in the ooze making even more horribly disgusting sounds that few people knew a pumpkin could make. Matt then pulled a bit of guts from the main pile as he stretched it out.

"BRAINS!" Matt said, imitating a zombie as best he could. Mello looked at Matt with amusement shining in his eyes. The blond held back a laugh as he continued to watch Matt squish the pumpkin gunk in his hand while chanting "brains…brains…."

"Stop being so silly Matt and I cut the—"two loud bangs from the kitchen interrupted Mello before he could finish. The sound startled both of the boys who jumped a little in their seats.

"Is someone I the kitchen?" Matt asked softly.

"No. We would have seen them come in. There's only one way to enter the kitch; and that's from the cafeteria," Mello replied as he stared at the door he had just spoken of. A moment of silence fell between the two boys as they continued to watch the kitchen door. There was a tiny rectangular window that let one peer into the kitchen, however, since the lights were off inside not much could be seen.

"Should we see what that was?" Matt asked, his voice becoming softer and softer as he spoke. Mello turned his attention to the red-head. Matt looked tense. His shoulders were rigid and his grip on the orange gunk appeared tighter than what was comfortable. Mello turned in his seat until the only thing that faced him was the pumpkin once more.

"It was probably some loose dishes falling out of place or the fridge kicking on. Don't worry about it Mattie" Mello said as he tried to reassure the other boy. The attempt at alleviating Matt's fear didn't seem to work as Matt continued to stare intently at the kitchen door. Mello sighed, "Do you want me to check it out?

"N…no. That's alright, Mels. You don't have to if you don't wanna—"Matt replied quickly, but his blond friend was already halfway out of his seat. Matt watched worriedly as Mello made his way to the kitchen door. The boy held his breath as the other pushed open the door slowly. Mello peered into the dark room momentarily before opening the door all the way.

"See Matt. There's nothing there for you to be scared abo-"

"Mello!" Matt shouted suddenly as he pointed to something beyond the door. This caused Mello to jump and turn around quickly in his spot. His head swung around right to left as he looked around desperately.

"Where? What?" Mello asked as he continued to search for the upset. The boy couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. All that faced him was a dark empty kitchen. Mello glanced back at Matt again and raised an inquisitive brow.

"I'm sorry…Mels. I thought… It looked like…It's not important," Matt said. Mello simply shook his head and let go of his hold on the door. The heavy wood swung back and forth before going still. Mello made his way back to the table and sat down.

"You're just letting your imagination get the best of you" Mello said as he grabbed the carving knife back off the table, "Let's give this pumpkin a face"

"Alright…" Matt said with only a little bit of enthusiasm. Mello gave him a look that caused the boy to force a smile. When the blond seemed satisfied with this reaction, he went back to cutting out the pumpkin's eye. Matt took this opportunity to take one last look at the kitchen door.

He swore he'd seen a Shadow…

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_** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to capture all those wonders of October and Halloween that I had as a child into this story. So, I thought pumpkin carving was an appropriate addition. The ghost story is developing as you can see. Stay tuned for more Halloween fun.**_

_**And…REVIEW! (Cause I'm a review whore)**_


	3. Costumes

Class was dismissed and children began to crowd the narrow hallways of Whammy's. The vibration of footsteps at times would flicker some of the older lights due to faulty wiring. This gave the aged hallway an almost eerie feel as if they were traveling in an old castle. Matt huddled closer to the body in front of him, ending up stepping on the back of that person's shoes.

"Matt! Watch where you're walking…" Mello said irritably as he stopped to fix his shoe. Matt waited with Mello. The other children crowding the hall disappeared around the corner, their voices becoming softer and softer the further they traveled, until there was only silence.

"Mello are you almost done?" Matt asked as he shifted uncomfortably in his spot. Mello stomped his shoe on the ground until his heel was securely inside. He then adjusted the textbooks in his arms before looking up at Matt.

"This was your fault. There's no need to rush me along. What's your hurry anyway?" Mello replied as he started off down the hallway again with Matt hot on his heels.

"I'm…excited about lunch today?" Matt said unsurely. Mello made his way up a set of stairs now, but took the time to glance back and give Matt a look.

"I wonder why I feel like that's complete bullshit." Mello said dryly. Matt chuckled nervously as they reached the top of the staircase. The red-head decided to walk ahead a bit to gather his thoughts. Mello walked slowly as he watched his friend. Matt turned around to face the blond.

"Don't you believe for the most part that everything I say is nonsense anyway?" Matt said with a toothy grin. Mello quirked a brow, but allowed a smile to crawl onto his face anyway.

"I guess that's true… Well anyway, if we're going to get to that lunch you're so excited about; we should probably hurry up to our room. That way I can put my books up," Mello said as he picked up his pace. Matt's toothy grin transformed into a true smile after he saw Mello wouldn't push for a real answer.

The two boys finally reached their destination. Mello hefted his books together in one arm and proceeded to turn the door knob to their room. Matt helped Mello get the door open as he nudged it with his foot. The two sauntered into the room and Mello set his books down gently on his desk. Matt simply tossed his books unceremoniously on his bed with a _plop_. Mello rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the decently sized window in their room.

A sinister smile met Mello's eyes. The jack-o-lantern really looked impressive sitting on their windowsill. Since it was daylight, no light glowed from within to show off the pumpkin's haunting features. The boys' weren't allowed to use candles anyway. It was against the rules to have highly flammable things in ones room. This rule was strictly forced on Matt and Mello specifically. They'd had one too many incidents…

For this reason, when it was time to actually light up the pumpkin; the two used a small flashlight. It more or less had the same effect as a burning candle. It pleased Mello, so that was good enough. The blonde turned his attention away from his beloved pumpkin and made his way to the entrance of the room. He motioned for Matt to come along and then they were off.

"Know what kind of costume you might be getting this afternoon?" Mello asked curiously as they continued on their way to the cafeteria. Matt seemed to take a moment or two to ponder over the question.

"I guess it all depends on how many of the other kids have the same idea I do. But… I have a certain costume in mind" Matt answered with a smile, "What costume are you getting?"

"I'm going to make sure no one steals my idea, because I have what my costume is going to be set in stone. Anyone even glances at what costume I'm getting is going down. I've always wanted to be—"

Matt listens to Mello talk away about his costume. It was Whammy's tradition that children participating in Halloween would be carted off to a local costume shop. There they will be free to gather supplies for whatever costume that wanted within reason. Obviously someone wanting to be a nudist for Halloween would not be allowed.

Roger found over the years that he had to be very specific on what costumes were considered appropriate. Dealing with a house of geniuses could drive the old man up the walls at times. It got to a point where certain rules at Whammy's were written like a legal contract. Absolutely no loopholes…

On another note, the local costume shop was always happy to receive the residents of Whammy's. Most were certain that it was orphanage that kept the place afloat. Some of the orphans' costumes could be very elaborate, which as one can imagine, adds up after a while. Yes, Halloween was always a _festive_ time of year.

Matt and Mello had finally reached the cafeteria. The chattering of children once again filled the air. Mello picked up a tray and eyed the food choices as he walked along. Matt followed suit. When the boys' found the food most appealing to them; they gathered it up on their trays and then set off to find seats.

The two ended up settling at a table with some of the older residents of Whammy's. These particular residents sometimes ragged on Mello for being higher in the rankings, but one could always see during the time of a crucial football game that one of these older boys would call upon the hot-headed blond. The ringleader of this little group seemed to be Q. Q had a full pseudo name just like everyone else here at Whammy's, but simply preferred to go only by his letter. It made him feel closer to L in some sense; considering he'd knew that he would never be able to reach L's status in ranking.

"What'cha looking at gingie?" Q asked as he eyed Matt, whom had been staring at the kitchen door again without realizing. Matt was so startled by the question he sent his fork clattering to the floor. Mello paused in stuffing his face to watch the exchange between Q and his friend.

"Uh...it's nothing. Just thinking?" Matt said softly as he went to go pick up his fork from the ground. A blush dusted across Matt's cheek as he wiped off his fork with the bottom of his shirt without looking up. Q smirked at the younger boy and glanced to the kitchen.

"Thinking of some forbidden romance?" Q said teasingly as he turned back to the table. The other lunch-goers let out a few chuckles as Matt's whipped up really fast at the comment.

"What!" Matt squeaked. Mello almost choked on a noodle in his chicken noodle soup at this random accusation put to Matt. What was Q talking about?

"You know what I'm talking about Ginger. You're obviously got the hots for our little old lunch lady. I can see your feelings in the longing looks you give to that kitchen door," Q said, eliciting a chorus of laughter across the table. Matt was now almost as red as his hair.

"Why…wha?" Matt sputtered. Q continued to poke fun at Matt until Mello finally had enough. He set his spoon down and gave a menacing glare.

"Quasar cut it out!" Mello growled.

"Hey hey hey! I'm Q alright. Why do you care? Got something for the lunch lady too?" Q said rather irritably at being called his full pseudo-name.

"For your information, neither of us holds some secret lust for the lunch lady, wherever you got that sick idea. The other day Matt thought he saw something in the kitchen when we were here during break," Mello explained. Matt shot a look at the blond.

"Saw something?" Q questioned, now very interested. The other people also sitting at the table seemed to have tuned in to the conversation now.

"Yeah, like a shadow in the darkness…" Mello said. Matt glared at the blond as all the attention turned to him. Mello simply shrugged, "I didn't see anything though"

"That is quite curious. Seeing shadows?" Q asked.

"We heard a crash first…" Matt mumbled.

"So, a crash and a shadow? You know what I think?" Q said in a dark voice.

"No, please tell us what you think," Mello said rolling his eyes.

Q sat up straight in his seat. He leaned his shoulders forward as a serious look came to his face, his hands folded in front of him. This got everyone's attention. The whole group at the table moved in to listen to what the older boy had to say. Even Matt looked up from the table to catch what the _great_ Q said.

"Perhaps these things you've seen and heard were ghosts," Q said.

"Gh-ghosts?" Matt stuttered nervously.

"Oh please…" Mello snorted.

"You don't believe me Mello?" Q asked.

"Not in the least. Ghosts don't exist," Mello said.

"Hmmm… I see. Well then" Q began before standing up his seat to gain the attention of everyone in the cafeteria, his voice picking up in volume, "Perhaps I can change your tune Mello as well as anyone else who says they don't believe in ghost. After Friday testing and after dinner, everyone meets in the common room. That is where I'll reveal the truth about this orphanage and the ghosts that reside here"

"This is completely stupid… I'm not going to your little ghost story time," Mello said as he crossed his arms in defiance. Matt seemed relieved by this information, but his relief was short-lived.

"So what you're really saying is that you're too afraid to go?" Q taunted. A chorus of "oooohs" filled the cafeteria with noise again. It was in that moment that Mello saw red. Clenched fists slammed hard against the table. That simple taunt from Q would be Matt's downfall.

"I'm not afraid of anything! Bring on your _scariest_ little ghost story… I'll be there!" Mello yelled back, face tinged red from his bout of anger.

Q simply smirked.

The challenge was accepted.

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The bus bumped along the road at a steady pace. As of right now, the path of the bus gave only glimpses of the trees and their magic metamorphosis. Whammy's was somewhat out of the way in the relation to the actual town of Winchester. It would take a while more into the bus ride before any sign civilization could be seen.

A light drizzle was falling from the sky. The tiny droplets of water clinked against the side of the bus. Mello blew on his window and watched as the cool air from outside interacted with his warmth breath creating a fog along the glass. The blonde then brought up his index finger and drew a cartoonish version of his and Matt's jack-o-lantern. He smiled, but soon the smile faded as the quiet figure sitting beside Mello finally spoke up.

"Why did you have to do that Mello?" Matt said softly as he continued to stare at his shoes with a dejected look on his face.

"What do you mean what did I do?" Mello grumbled. Matt tilted his head a bit to give his friend a side-long glance causing some of his shaggy bangs to fall completely in front of his goggles.

"You said you'd go to Q's stupid ghost story session…" Matt shot back irritably.

"So?" Mello retorted.

"So…I don't want to go," Matt replied as he turned his gaze to the floor again. Mello sighed and crossed his arms. The blonde then proceeded to lean firmly back against the faux leather of the bus seats. He took time to eye Matt.

"No one said you had to go Matt," Mello commented.

"I know but…" Matt began as he lifted back his head to also lean against the bus seat; and for the first time during the bus trip allowed Mello a full view of his face, "It's just that if you go then by default I'm expected to as well. You might not be able to see it, but we're a…we're kind of a package deal. Plus even if I didn't go I'd be…afraid of being alone"

The end confession was spoken so softly Mello almost didn't catch it. When it did register, Mello looked at Matt seriously. The redhead's cheeks had darkened to a crimson color and his eyes were closed tight behind his goggles. Mello gently placed a hand on top of Matt's in a comforting manner. Neither moved their hands for a while.

"I'm sorry about the ghost story thing, but you don't have to worry about this. I know ghosts aren't real. There's no reason for you to believe in them, I mean—" Mello was cut off by Matt as the redhead finally moved his hand from underneath the blonde's.

"That's easy for you to say…" Matt grumbled as he placed both his hands firmly on his knees, eyes facing straight forward. Mello sighed again and clicked his tongue. He then rolled his eyes and glanced at the top of the bus for a moment in thought.

"I just don't understand what you're upset about. Ghost, spirits, and things are just urban myths. They're legends. There are no true facts behind them," Mello said seriously. Matt, whom was still a bit peeved about Mello's unrelenting denial of ghosts, proceeded to say something he would later regret.

"Says the one wearing the cross…"

There was a deafening silence. There were still children chatting away on the bus, but in that single bus seat there was not a sound. Matt was mortified. The words had slipped from his mouth before he had even thought about them. Mello was no longer facing him. In fact, it looked like Mello wanted to be as far away from his as possible at this point in time; if there was any indication from how closely Mello melded against the side of the bus with his face glued to the window. Matt cursed himself under his breath.

The two friends never made eye-contact again during the bus ride after that point. Mello was now constantly thumbing the beads of his rosary. Matt could tell that the blonde was genuinely upset by his comment. He felt awful. Suddenly the bus came to a stop. They had reached the costume shop.

Matt waited for his turn to get into the aisle. Mello shuffled quietly behind him. The other children didn't seem to pay the two much mind. Soon enough the orphans began to collect outside the building and waited for further instruction. Once Roger gave the signal for the go-ahead, people swarmed into the costume shop with Chaperone's close behind. The two friends had yet to say one word to each other.

Matt could feel a light pressure building inside his chest. He wasn't as excited as he had been earlier about getting his costume. There was no question as to why he felt this way now. The reason was three feet away, ignoring him. Mello was trying hard not to notice him as he tried on another hat hanging off an old coat rack. Matt could feel tears prickle at the edges of his eyes. A sniffle escaped his lips.

"I'm sorry…" Matt said softly as he lifted a side of his goggles to wipe away a loose tear. Mello's termination to continue to be angry at Matt faltered. The blonde bit his lip as he turned to face Matt with hat in hand. Matt adjusted his goggles and met Mello's gaze.

"You know I can't stay mad at you for long…" Mello said gently. A moment later, Mello had to fight to breathe as Matt clung to him. The redhead was not a touchy-feely person with anyone but him. A small smile broke out on Mello's face.

"Thank-you," Matt whispered. Mello could feel the heat of a blush coming on so he gently nudged Matt off him and hid his glowing face by the hat in his hands. Matt had let go of Mello reluctantly and now just stood there.

"Can't have you hanging on to me all day…" Mello said behind his hat, "I think it's time to go get our costumes. Let's show each other when we're finished,"

"Righto!" Matt said cheerfully. Then the redhead was off like a bat out of hell. Mello watched his friend scurry off and lowered the hat covering his face. A sigh escaped his lips. Matt had never revealed what his costume like Mello had. The blonde was curious to find out exactly what it was. He hoped Matt would think to match him. The blush on Mello's grew and he turned back to the hat rack.

"Need to make sure no one else steals my idea…" Mello said quietly to himself.

The costume shop owner watched with much excitement at the children hustling and bustling around her shop. She was a lonely woman, her own children having left her long ago for bigger and better things. This sight of children becoming what they've always imagined always made her happy. In reality, it was more like a mad house.

Every child was scrambling for the very best that they could use. In some tighter corners of the shop, children would fight angrily for certain costume pieces. Mello was currently taking down a boy trying to claim an eyeglass. Needless to say, Mello ended up winning that particular battle. With that done Mello had finished collecting his costume. He headed over towards the changing rooms. He eyed a pair of goggles hanging over one of the changing room doors and immediately knew who was inside.

"Matt?" Mello called from outside the changing rooms.

"Mello? What's up?" came Matt's muffled voice from within.

"I'm going to go change in the next stall. Let's come out at the same time to show off our costumes!" Mello declared.

"Okay. I'm almost done anyway. I'll wait for you to tell me to come out," Matt replied. Mello grinned and hurried into the stall beside Matt's. The blond locked the stall door and began to strip inside. He laid his normal shirt and pants on a chair; and lifted up his costume pieces off the hanger he had set them on.

Mello struggled to get on his costume as fast as possible. Once he was done with the main outfit, he picked up the hat he had gotten and placed it firmly on his head. He then picked up the eye-glass he had fought so valiantly for and held it up to his eye. Mello then studied himself in the mirror of the changing room. He was seemingly satisfied with his choice. Mello called for Matt to come out.

Both latches of the changing rooms clicked simultaneously. Mello peeked out a bit before stepping out fully. His cloak caught on the door for a moment, but he turned around to shake it off. When he had managed to get the cloak off, he turned back around to face Matt. He could only stare in disbelief for a moment. Then he let his opinion for the costume be known.

"A power ranger, Matt?" Mello said with a tad bit of annoyance.

"Not just a power ranger, Mello. I'm the red power ranger. Tyrannosaurus! " Matt said proudly as he placed himself in a super hero pose. Mello could only imagine the stupid grin the redhead had on his face. The real view of Matt's face was covered by the cheap plastic helmet meant to be his power ranger helmet. Matt's actual eyes could be seen through the tiny slits on the mask. Mello often forgot that Matt had blue eyes.

"You were supposed to be Watson!" Mello growled. Matt scowled from behind plastic, before lifting his mask up to rest on the top of his head. Matt's deep blue eyes were even more visible now. However, those lovely eyes were looking rather pointedly at Mello.

"I thought you said I could be whatever I wanted to be," Matt argued.

"I did say that! But I only wanted you to be whatever you wanted to be if you were matching me!" Mello exclaimed loudly. The blond after realizing his confession reddened considerably. Matt blinked. Then a smile came to his face.

"So you wanted me to be Watson, because you're Sherlock Holmes?" Matt teased. Mello awkwardly spun the spy glass in his hand. His detective hat tipped forward as he tried to hide his face. He was certain he'd die from embarrassment.

"Yes," Mello said curtly.

"Well you know, both our costumes are technically people fighting for justice. Just in a different way… I'm sure that the red power ranger would love to work with Sherlock Holmes any given day," Matt said with a light laugh. Mello felt a tingle bubble up inside his stomach.

"I guess so. Let's go buy our costumes…."

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_**Some parts of this chapter came out more serious than I originally intended. However I hope you still enjoyed it. This chapter was a b*tch to get out. I had to balance writing with a midterm and then I hurt my neck yesterday. I literally couldn't move at all yesterday. Anyways, I managed to get this done. And I shall attempt to desperately write the next two chapters before the end of Halloween! WOOSHA! Okay. Go review now. XD**_


	4. Ghost Stories

Friday had finally arrived. It was a day full of testing. It was also open of the most stressful days before the weekend. Luckily this week would end with a special treat, Halloween. However even that wasn't enough for some. Mello was still tense. He needed to do his very best.

The blond stomped down the hall from his last class. He was going to beat Near. It was an absolute must. Mello turned to Matt. They had made up at the costume shop, but something seemed off about the redhead. The goggled boy was on edge; and he was never on edge about test day. This made Mello certain that it had to be something else. However whenever Mello brought it up, Matt would just wave it off.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" Mello asked as the two began to ascend the staircase. Matt walked slowly behind him. Matt's steps were loud as if he were trying to use all his weight with every footfall.

"I don't know. I'll probably play _Ocarina of Time_ till dinner. Then once we're done eating, I'll probably get back to my game," Matt answered simply. When Mello reached the top of the stairs he paused. Matt almost ran into him, but stopped short of doing so. The two made eye contact. The look on Mello's face showed that he had just come to a realization about something.

"You can't play your game after dinner! We still have to go to Q's ghost story session in the commons," Mello stated as he continued to eye Matt. The red-head visibly slumped at the other boy's words.

"I was hoping you'd forgotten…" Matt grumbled as he made his way past Mello. He reached the top of the stairs and then started off down the hall. Mello went off after Matt, hot on his tail.

"I already said you didn't have to go Matt!"

"And I already said that I absolutely have to go if you do!"

The two stopped in front of the door to their bedroom. Mello sighed and shuffled his books in his arms. Matt ignored the blond and walked into their room. As soon as Matt entered the room, he headed straight to his gaming system. The redhead then blew into a game cartridge before clanking it into the slot. Matt turned the switch on the N64 and watched as the symbol flickered onto the screen.

The cluttered bedroom grew quiet after that. Mello sat at his desk flipping pages of one of his books. His focus never wavered from the print, taking in all the information it provided. Matt also concentrated on what he was doing. Both remained unaware of the rain picking up outside.

Dinner time was drawing nearer. Mello decided he'd finish the chapter in his book, and then they'd be off to dinner. Thunder clapped loudly outside. Mello turned his head to the window. The weather didn't look too good. Suddenly the room plummeted into darkness with another roar of thunder. The electricity had gone out.

"Just…awesome," Mello grumbled cynically in his seat.

"God damn it! I didn't get to save…" Matt shouted irritably. He stared forward into the vicinity of where he guessed the television was. There was really no way to tell exactly where it was considering it was so ridiculously dark in the room. Matt heard shuffling behind him

"Ow…" Mello's voice broke through the void. Matt lowered his controller to the floor as he tried to pinpoint where Mello was.

"Are you okay? What are you doing?" Matt asked curiously as he squinted into the darkened room. Wearing goggles did not help in this kind of situation at all. More shuffling followed Matt's question before he got an answer.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Mello retorted as a small light flickered from the window, "I was getting the flashlight from the pumpkin,"

"Smart…"

"When am I not?"

Mello made his way over to Matt slowly, light pointed steadily in front of him. The blonde settled himself beside Matt. Mello turned the flashlight towards the floor as he settled it on his lap. A crack of lightening lit up the room's window.

"Where'd this crappy weather come from?" Matt mumbled. Mello smirked as he lifted the flashlight from his lap and pointed it up towards his chin, which casted a rather interesting shadow on the young boy's face.

"Maybe it's a sign of things to come," Mello said darkly. Matt blinked and then shot a look at the blonde he hoped Mello could see.

"Shut-up…"

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/\\\\\\\\\\\/\

The actual dinner session before the ghost stories had been uneventful. Every once in a while Q would send a taunt Mello's way, but nothing else of importance happened. The only other thing at dinner was the excitement. And who wouldn't be excited?

The ghost stories with Q were an event. It was a break from the monotony of a life at Whammy's. The only days there were breaks in their stressful schedules were during holidays. Yet even then, those events were well planned and organized in advance. This ghost story time was new and unexpected. The excitement in the air was palpable. However, not everyone was filled with this same excitement.

Matt put up his lunch tray slowly. He was not in the greatest of moods. Mello could tell Matt was not happy, but there was nothing the blonde boy could do about it. Matt was being the stubborn one for once due to the fact he refused to miss the ghost story session if Mello was there.

_'Stupid kid' _Mello sighed.

"Are you ready for this? Mello questioned red-head beside him. Matt had his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his head hung low. They continued down the hall to the commons.

"I guess… I just hope the electricity doesn't go out again like it did early," Matt muttered under his breath. Mello couldn't help the laugh that escaped passed his lips. Matt looked up quickly at Mello with a sour look on his face.

"I'm sorry it's just…ha ha… the lights were only out for like five minutes. It wasn't the end of the world," Mello said.

"I never said it was the end of the world. I'm only saying that if it were to go out again, it would be really inconvenient," Matt shot back.

"Right~" Mello said as he reached the commons door. Matt didn't reply to Mello's comment. When the two entered the commons room, it was already crowded with children. Near even made an appearance tonight, much to Mello's dismay.

Matt supposed even the odd albino child needed a break from the Monotony of Whammy's. Or the boy was simply here by default. The commons was normally Near's space. Maybe it was the children joining him unintentionally, and it was no him joining the children. The second theory was more likely, although that didn't matter now. It was Q's time.

The storm from earlier was still raging outside. It seemed to have gotten worse. Someone had turned off the main light in the commons. Perhaps the felt it would add to the ambiance of the situation. The commons was now only lit by a single lamp, and the occasional lightning strike outside. The random flashes of light looked even more eerie through stained-glass windows. Every flash created a different array of colors on the floor.

"How nice of you to show up, Mello…" Q said with a smirk. Mello huffed and sat himself on the floor with a thud. His expression was bored, and it showed that he was ready for all this nonsense to be over. Matt sat beside Mello with a little less confidence, and slightly shaky hands. Mello folded his hands in his lap and looked at Q expectantly.

"Are you going to start soon?" one of the children asked impatiently. She puckered her lips with a pout and crossed her arms. Q straightened up in his spot. A sinister smile started to crawl onto his face. He took time to look every child in the face with piercing eyes.

"You all seem so eager to never feel safe in this place again. All these things that haunt our halls. All these shadows on the walls. All these things that bump in the night. All these things that fill us with fright. Hearing echoed voices of the dead. Dare you peek underneath your bed?" Q began in an eerie voice. Mello snorted.

"I'll give you points for theatrics, but you haven't moved me yet," Mello said. Q's eyes narrowed. All eyes were focused between the two and their silent battle. No-one paid much mind to Matt though. Unlike his brave friend, Matt's nerves were already sufficiently rattled.

"Just wait. I've hardly even begun Blondie. How about a history lesson on our lovely abode? Obviously by these windows…" Q gestured to the stained-glass as a particularly large flash of lightening illuminated the room, "This place was once a church"

"Nuns lived within some of our rooms. There was a small graveyard in the back, which you can still remnants outside. It was also a safe place for those crying sanctuary. A place for those that are downtrodden, poor, and lost souls. One lost soul in particular was welcomed into the church and offered comfort. What the people of the church were unaware of was this particular lost soul's madness. Some would say it was the devil himself that took control of this young man on that terrible night the unthinkable happened…"

Eyes glowed as they continued to listen in on Q's tale. Some held their breathes. Others brought their hands together and held them tight. A young girl's lip started to tremble as she bunched her dress in her hand. All were completely enraptured. Q paused for effect.

"No-one knows what happened for certain. No-one knows what set the young man off, but madness struck him. In the middle of the night, he awoke and began to bar various people in their rooms. Nuns, other members of the clergy and other poor souls were trapped. Some managed to escape before the young man decided that simply trapping those people wasn't enough. Flames began to engulf the church as the young man set it on fire. Screams filled the night as people burned alive within these walls. The church and countless lives were lost on that night. There wouldn't be residents here again until Whammy settled the place"

"That's ridiculous. Wouldn't the building be gone if it was set on fire? Furthermore, what would Whammy's want with a burnt down church anyway? Sounds pretty unlikely to me, " Mello chimed in. Other children also thought about this and began to flood Q with questions. The older teen simply raised his hand to continue to speak.

"Whammy didn't start out as wealthy as he is now. He didn't nearly have enough money in the past possible of supporting all of us then. This is why he bought this place. It was cheap. It was enough space to create his inventions. No-one would touch this place. It was thought to be cursed. Who'd want to settle on unsacred ground? However, Whammy did so. He rebuilt the original structure to an extent. Most of the Stained-glass was still in mint-condition. He'd be very successful in his endeavors here until he eventually did open this place up for an orphanage, more rooms would be added on and so forth. Eventually the first heirs to L were selected. Another tragedy would strike this place. Perhaps Whammy should have heeded the warning of this cursed land…"

The children were very interested now. Q was one of the older generations. He did know a bit more history of the place. He may never succeed L, but he seemed more knowledgeable about things that were always spoken in hushed whispers in the hall. This place did hold so many secrets within its walls. They were things of legend. Teachers who had taught here the longest always scolded those who even dare mention a clue to the story. Something did happen long ago in this place. All anyone really knew was that it was a horrific tragedy, and one shouldn't speak of such things. It was a game of telephone gone wrong. The original story was so muddled up no-one was certain if it was true or not.

"This place is haunted by three other spirits among those that burned here alive. They were the original heirs. There letters were A, B, and C. They're the reason that those who are not destined to be L have other opportunities waiting for them once they leave…"

"Like storytelling for you…." Mello muttered under his breath. Q chose to ignore the biting remark from the young boy. It was seemingly difficult to impress this one with ghost stories. However, Q was satisfied to see true fright shining in some of the children's eyes.

"A holds the saddest tale. It was far too much for A. The pressure caused by competing for the title of L made A take his own life. C was the most heartbroken by the event. One night she simply disappeared, never to be seen again. Some people believe she followed A into the dark. The only clue that this true is the sound of weeping heard in the middle of the night. This is thought to be her cries of sadness. Then we're left with B. There is another tale that says that B actually murdered them both. That he helped A end his life. That he took C in the middle of the night, and ended her grieving with the blade of a knife. B took the competition to a whole new level. He didn't want to succeed L. He wanted to beat L. He wanted to surpass him. Either way, he was seen as far too dangerous. Unsure of what to do with the problematic child, the staff and Whammy hid him away in a place no one would find him. Some believe the child was hidden away in these very walls. He's like a monster lurking in the night searching for his next victim. When a child goes missing, they are presumed to have run away. But perhaps they simply met an unfortunate end?"

A rather violent strike of lightning hit close to the building and the single lamp that was on went out. A chorus of screams echoed through the room. Then a loud clap of thunder broke over the screams. Whimpers were heard as the sound of a one of the heavy wooden doors creaked open. A tiny flame of a candle shadowed the face of their caretaker, whom seemed very un-amused.

"What is going on in here?" Roger asked in a grouchy voice. The question was enough to cause everyone to scatter off into separate directions. Crashing into random things as they stumbled in the dark, "You should all be in bed!"

Matt jumped as he felt someone grab his hand, but was calmed as another flash of lightening revealed a streak of blonde hair. He felt Mello tug him along as they ran out the room. Both maneuvered as carefully as they could through the halls. It was dangerous without anything to light their way. The other children shuffled along in the shadows, some of which would give out frightened cries if bumped into by another.

The sound of tinkling filled the halls as some of the older lights began to kick back on. This made it slightly easier for the children to find their rooms. Matt could see Mello clearly now. He seemed completely fine to the red-head. It wasn't fair. Matt knew for a fact his nerves were shot. He knew he might not sleep. He was terrified.

Terrified now of every bump in the night.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

**Sorry for the delay. This Halloween grows closer.**


	5. Bump in the Night

What was that sound? Matt bunched up his comforter around his head. Eyes darted left to right, searching for a source that was never found. It was far too dark to see. There was only one eerie glowing beacon in the room. Mello and Matt's jack-o-lantern truly was spooky looking. They had succeeded in carving a terrifying face much to Matt's dismay now. A jagged grin faced Matt as he peeked from beneath the sheets once more.

Matt heard a click from one of the darkest corner of the room. Matt attempted to bury himself even deeper into his covers. He couldn't sleep. He can't sleep. There's something out there. There's something out there and as soon as he went to sleep it would get him. Whatever it was, it was going to get him. He can't close his eyes. He can't give it a chance. Something creaked from right underneath Matt's bed.

The red-head didn't even pause to breathe as he leaped from his bed, tripped over his own blankets, and flung himself towards Mello's bed. This caused quite a commotion as Mello was shocked awake. Matt clung to Mello as tightly as he possibly could, trembling.

"What the hell is going on?" Mello asked groggily. He was more than a little bit annoyed. Matt simply shook his head into Mello's stomach as he continued to hold onto the blonde. Mello let out a small grumbled growl.

"I can't let it get me…" Matt mumbled.

"Can't let what get you?" Mello asked with a yawn.

"Whatever is under my bed!" Matt cried as he lifted his head. Mello hoped there was enough light in the room so that Matt could see the look of utter disbelief. Really, this was getting out of hand. Mello sighed.

"There's nothing under your bed…" Mello said.

"That's what it wants us to think!" Matt retorted.

"Go to sleep…" Mello said gritting his teeth.

"No…I can't," Matt replied.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. I'm going to ignore you, but you are welcome to stay in my bed if it makes you feel better. If you wake me up again, I will be the thing that gets you. Go to sleep Mattie," Mello said as he lay back down.

Matt sniffed. When Mello didn't move after a while, Matt resigned himself to go to sleep in his friend's bed. The red-head lifted up the bed sheet and buried him inside. Mello shifted to make room and flopped over an arm over Matt's side. Within minutes, both were fast asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/\\\\\\\\\\\\

Everything moved rather slowly the next morning for everyone. Such slow dragging feet, one wouldn't suspect it was a house full of children the day of Halloween. Eyes completely glazed over. Subtle sounds and movements making some jump in the hallway. Then there were the hushed whispers as some of the children clambered together for safety from some unknown thing.

A chorus of screams erupted from down the hallway. The screams were directly followed by a rather dark chuckle. Q clapped his hands together with glee as he continued to laugh at the looks of utter terror of some of the younger children. Mello and Matt came upon the scene as the children's expressions changed towards being annoyed than frightened. Q waved the children off as he spotted Mello.

"Hey Blondie! Sleep well?" Q said with a smirk. Mello just gave him a blank look and grabbed Matt's hand. He proceeded to drag his friend the rest of the way down the hallway towards the cafeteria. Q apparently didn't like this lack of reaction from Mello. He stomped his foot and pushed past the other kids in the hall in a huff.

The cafeteria was buzzing with activity when the two entered. It was a similar scene to the one they'd seen in the hallway. Children were whispering to one another, eyes glazed over from lack of sleep. Something had been keeping them up. They looked so tired. All the bumps in the night causing panic in young hearts.

Mello was starting to become irritated. He set his food down on one of the tables and sat down with a flop. His was getting tired of all this nonsense. Matt being scared was one thing, but having the whole of Whammy's jumping at every turn was irritating.

"I saw something hovering at the window!"

"I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye…"

"Something was moving in my closet,"

"Scary sounds from the hallway…"

Each child was telling their own version of what happened the night before. Things they were just noticing now. Mello was not amused. He took his tray and prepared to leave. Matt followed closely behind him. He seemed confused by the blonde's sudden escape.

"Where are you going Mello?" Matt asked.

"I'm going to get ready for tonight…" Mello said darkly.

"You're getting ready for Halloween now?" Matt said somewhat confused.

"Something like that,"


End file.
